Blue Devil Duo Wins Town Scholar Athlete Awards

Huntington Town Board members honored Huntington High School seniors Kate Barba and Thomas Girimonti for their outstanding scholarship, community service and athletic achievements.

The Town Board presents its coveted Scholar Athlete Award to one male and one female member of the graduating class of each Town of Huntington high school.

Councilwoman Theresa Mari spoke eloquently about Ms. Barba and Mr. Girimoni, describing their attributes in glowing terms for the crowd, which included principals, athletic directors, superintendents and family members.

Huntington Superintendent Beth M. McCoy and high school Principal Brenden Cusack and Assistant Principal Trish Avelli were both on hand for the festivities, offering the two Blue Devil seniors their heartfelt congratulations and later posing with the pair for a series of commemorative photos.

Kathryn Barba

Huntington senior Kathryn Barba has succeeded in every possible way over the past four years. An All-State volleyball player, she holds several all-time Blue Devil varsity records. She intends to continue her playing career at SUNY Geneseo where she plans to study psychology in preparation for a career in law enforcement.

Ms. Barba is among the Class of 2024’s best with an overall academic grade average of 99.15. She has also earned varsity letters on Huntington’s softball team.

A certified lifeguard, Ms. Barba has been inducted into Huntington High School’s National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Science Honor Society chapters. She volunteers with Huntington’s Habitat for Humanity club and has volunteered as an assistant coach with the Finley Middle School girls’ volleyball program.

Ms. Barba turned in a historic season last fall for the Huntington varsity girls’ volleyball team. She shattered the single season record for kills with 361 and broke the all-time Blue Devil mark of 636.

Ms. Barba has been a student in Huntington UFSD since kindergarten. “All the schools I have gone to (Flower Hill, Woodhull, Finley and the high school) have been amazing,” she said. “Being in the same school district throughout my education has allowed me to form long-lasting relationships with classmates, teachers and staff.”

Thomas Girimonti

Thomas Girimonti has been one of Huntington High School’s exceedingly rare three sport athletes, starting on the golf, basketball and lacrosse teams. But he has a special love for the latter and has committed to play for Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

President of Huntington High School’s Varsity Club, Mr. Girimonti has a near perfect overall academic average of 99.06. He is planning to study in Wesleyan’s School of Economics.

Rather than coast through his senior year, Mr. Girimonti has taken four Advanced Placement courses in Calculus AB, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Physics.

Mr. Girimonti is the engine that makes the Huntington boys’ lacrosse team run. But he’s excelled for the Blue Devils on the golf course and basketball court, too, turning in many outstanding performances over the years.

Taking the field for Huntington, has been something special for the teenager. “It means everything to me,” Mr. Girimonti said. “The feeling going out there with my teammates while wearing a Blue Devil jersey is really awesome.”